Jesy Nelson's first solo single since quitting Little Mix has been out, and it's getting a lot of attention for all the wrong reasons.
Following the publication of the 4-minute, 44-second film on YouTube yesterday night, fans accused the singer of blackfishing, a word that refers to someone who pretends to be black or mixed-race.
The song, named Boyz, includes American rapper Nikki Minaj, and P Diddy even makes an appearance in the video, which has an early 2000s style and exudes nostalgia.
Viewers were less than thrilled to see Jesy having a deep tan and braided hair in the film, and rushed to social media to criticize the white British singer - who comes from Essex - for cultural appropriation.
Some of them however, got blocked for making comments on her IG.
"Not only is Boyz by Jesy Nelson a bad song but the music video does nothing to quell the accusations of blackfishing she's faced her entire career." one grumbled.
Jesy Nelson replied to the blackfishing's allegations by saying, "I am very aware that I am a white British woman."
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She also said the phrase was never directed towards her before she quit the girlband in a recent interview with Vulture.
Her defense might be weak though.
"I am very aware that I am a white British woman; I never said no," she said. "But I mean, like, I love black culture. I like black music. That's all I know; that's what I grew up on, "the Essex-born star said.
When asked about claims that her Instagram account disabled some of her followers after they commented that she looked to be blackfishing, Jesy stated it may have been a member of her staff.
The backlash cannot be taken lightly though, because the comments were strong and quite fiery. It can even get her cancelled for a while. Below are some of the comments.
Others who concurred added: "Ok so I'll take the bait. Jesy Nelson's new video for Boyz features Nicki Minaj, a black woman. Why is Jesy's skin DARKER than Nicki's? Is this blackfishing, and is it acceptable?" and "Jesy Nelson really is the poster girl for blackfishing at this point."
Another enraged microblogger posed the following question: "I'm sorry, but how does #JesyNelson continuously get away with very apparent and unapologetic blackfishing? Y'all can feel bad for her and still hold her accountable, I'm confused."
"sorry but i can't stand jesy nelson why is she getting away with branding herself with this whole "hood" blackfishing aesthetic when she's 100% white and from ROMFORD ??????" and "Jesy Nelson needs to remember that she's a WHITE woman. The blackfishing is irking me man," said another.
Many of the comments claimed that Jesy Nelson just annoys her so much for ever forgetting that she's a white woman and not black.
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